Glossary
The words of the sampradaya, explained simply. Every word links back here wherever it appears on the site.
- Acharya Lineage
-
The teacher who gives us the Lord's mantras, explains their meaning and lives what he teaches. The elders hold the acharya to be the Lord's own grace come in human form, and teach that the soul is saved through its bond with the acharya.
- Acharya Abhimanam Doctrine
-
The acharya's loving acceptance of a disciple as his own. The elders teach that being held this way by one's acharya is the surest shelter of all, for the Lord can never turn away one whom His dear devotee has claimed.
- Achit Doctrine
-
That which does not know — matter. It is of three kinds, the matter of this world (prakriti), the pure, radiant matter of Paramapadam (shuddha sattva), and time (kala). The Lord uses all of it for the good of souls.
See also: Tattva Traya, Paramapadam - Adhyayana Utsavam Temple
-
The festival in the month of Margazhi when the whole Divya Prabandham is recited before the Lord over about three weeks, in two halves called Pagal Pathu and Ira Pathu. Vaikunta Ekadasi opens the second half, and Swami Nammalwar's reaching the Lord's feet is enacted on the last day.
- Adiyen Practice
-
Tamil for "this servant", the way a Sri Vaishnava humbly speaks of himself or herself instead of saying "I". For the same reason, names are often joined with dasan or dasi, servant.
See also: Sesha and Seshi, Sri Vaishnava - Akinchanya Doctrine
-
Having nothing of one's own to offer as a means. The devotee knows, honestly and without despair, that no deed, learning or goodness of theirs can win the Lord, and this very emptiness makes them fit to rest on Him.
See also: Ananya-gatitva, Prapatti - Alwar Lineage
-
One of the twelve saints whose hearts were immersed in the Lord's qualities, and whose pasurams make up the Divya Prabandham. The word comes from the Tamil for "one who is immersed".
- Ananya-gatitva Doctrine
-
Having no other refuge. Together with akinchanya, it is the true state of one who takes refuge — looking to no one but the Lord for protection.
See also: Akinchanya, Saranagati - Anusandhanam Practice
-
Reciting a sacred text while holding its meaning in the heart. It is not mere chanting; the elders ask us to dwell on what the words say about the Lord and about ourselves.
See also: Nithyanusandhanam, Sevakalam - Archa Avatara Temple
-
The Lord's descent into the temple form, where He lets His devotees see Him, touch Him, bathe Him and feed Him. Of all His forms it is the easiest to reach, and out of love He depends on His devotees here as if He had no power of His own.
- Archiradi Gati Doctrine
-
The path of light by which a released soul travels to Paramapadam when its last body falls. The Lord Himself leads it, honoured at every stage by divine guides, across the river Viraja to His abode.
- Artha Panchakam Doctrine
-
The five things every seeker should know — who the Lord is, who I am, the means to reach Him, the goal, and what stands in the way. The elders say all of scripture speaks of these five.
- Baddha Doctrine
-
A bound soul, still caught in samsara by karma, as all of us here are. The bound soul forgets that it belongs to the Lord, but He never forgets it, and He waits for the moment it turns to Him.
- Bhagavata Doctrine
-
A devotee of the Lord, one who belongs to Him. In the sampradaya the Lord's devotees are held as dear as the Lord Himself, and serving them is the crown of all service.
- Bhagavata Apachara Doctrine
-
Any offence against the Lord's devotees, in word, thought or deed. The elders teach it is graver than an offence against the Lord Himself, and that judging a devotee by their birth is among its worst forms.
See also: Bhagavata, Bhagavata Kainkaryam - Bhagavata Kainkaryam Practice
-
Service to the Lord's devotees. The elders teach that serving those who belong to the Lord is the highest point of serving Him, for nothing pleases Him more than care shown to His own.
- Bhakti Yoga Doctrine
-
The path of steady, loving meditation on the Lord taught in the Upanishads and the Gita, which needs great strength and many lifetimes. For one who has taken refuge, love for the Lord is not a means to reach Him; it is a joy in itself and grows into kainkaryam.
- Charama Sloka Texts
-
The Lord's final word in the Bhagavad Gita (18.66), spoken as Krishna to Arjuna. In it He asks the soul to hold Him alone as the means, and promises to free it from all sins, so that it need not grieve.
- Chit Doctrine
-
The soul, a being that knows and feels. Every soul is eternal, tiny, and by its very nature belongs to the Lord. Souls are of three kinds — those still bound (baddha), those released (mukta) and those ever free (nitya suris).
- Divya Desam Temple
-
One of the 108 sacred abodes of the Lord praised by the Alwars in their pasurams. Of these, 106 are on this earth, and two — Thiruppaarkadal (the Milk Ocean) and Paramapadam — are beyond it.
- Divya Prabandham Texts
-
Also called: Nalayira Divya Prabandham
The four thousand sacred Tamil verses — the pasurams of the twelve Alwars together with Thiruvarangathu Amudhanar's Ramanuja Nootrandadi in praise of Sri Ramanuja. Nathamunigal recovered and arranged them, and they are sung in temples and homes to this day.
- Dravida Veda Texts
-
The Tamil Veda — a name for the Divya Prabandham, and above all for Swami Nammalwar's Tiruvaymozhi. The elders teach that it reveals the same truth as the Sanskrit Vedas, in sweet and simple Tamil open to all.
See also: Divya Prabandham, Tiruvaymozhi - Dvayam Texts
-
Also called: Mantra Ratnam
The mantra of two parts, treasured as the jewel of mantras. Its first part is the soul taking refuge at the Lord's feet with Piratti's recommendation, and its second is the prayer for kainkaryam to the Divine Couple; it too is received from one's acharya.
- Eedu Texts
-
The most beloved commentary on Tiruvaymozhi — Nampillai's lectures as written down by Vadakku Thiruveedhi Pillai. According to tradition, Manavala Mamunigal expounded the Eedu for a full year before Namperumal at Srirangam.
- Ekadasi Practice
-
The eleventh day of each lunar fortnight, kept by Sri Vaishnavas as a day of fasting and remembering the Lord. It is kept out of love for Him, not as a price paid to earn anything.
See also: Vaikunta Ekadasi - Emperumanar Lineage
-
A name of Sri Ramanuja meaning "our Lord". According to tradition, Thirukkoshtiyur Nambi called him this when Ramanuja, out of compassion and ready to bear any cost himself, shared the meaning of the mantra with all who longed to be saved.
See also: Sri Ramanuja, Udayavar - Guru Parampara Lineage
-
The unbroken chain of teachers through which the sampradaya's knowledge has come down to us. It begins with Sriman Narayana Himself, passes through Periya Piratti, Senai Mudaliyar (Vishvaksena) and Swami Nammalwar to Nathamunigal, and flows on through Sri Ramanuja and Manavala Mamunigal to our own acharyas today.
- Isvara Doctrine
-
The Lord, Sriman Narayana, who creates, protects and rules all, full of every good quality and free of every fault. He is present in five ways — as Para in Paramapadam, in the vyuha forms, in His avataras (vibhava), as the one within every heart (antaryami), and in the temple as archa.
- Jeeyar Lineage
-
A Sri Vaishnava sannyasi, often the head of a matham, who guides disciples and serves the temple. Manavala Mamunigal is lovingly called Periya Jeeyar.
See also: Acharya, Guru Parampara - Jivatma Doctrine
-
The individual soul, the real "I" inside the body. It is not the body or the mind; it is a small light of knowledge that belongs wholly to the Lord and finds its joy in serving Him.
- Kainkaryam Doctrine
-
Loving service to the Lord, done for His joy and not our own. Because the soul exists for Him, kainkaryam is the very goal of its nature; it begins here in small daily services and is made perfect in Paramapadam.
- Mangalasasanam Temple
-
Wishing the Lord well — praying that no harm ever touches Him, out of a love so deep that one forgets His greatness and only worries for Him. The Alwars' pasurams on a Divya Desam are their mangalasasanam of that temple, and the elders hold this loving wish to be most fitting for a soul that belongs to Him.
See also: Divya Desam, Alwar - Moksha Doctrine
-
Release from samsara — and far more than that, reaching the Lord in Paramapadam to serve Him forever. For one who has taken refuge, the Lord grants this at the end of this very life.
- Moolavar Temple
-
The main, fixed form of the Lord in the inner sanctum, who never leaves His place; devotees come to Him. At Srirangam the moolavar is Periya Perumal, reclining on Adisesha.
- Mukta Doctrine
-
A released soul, once bound in samsara, who by the Lord's grace has reached Paramapadam. There it serves the Lord forever, with the same joy as the nitya suris.
- Nithyanusandhanam Texts
-
The daily recitation — a set of pasurams and stotras, such as Thiruppallandu and Thiruppavai, that Sri Vaishnavas recite every day at home and in the temple. It keeps the Alwars' words on our lips every day.
- Nitya Suri Doctrine
-
The ever-free souls who have never known bondage, such as Adisesha, Garuda and Vishvaksena. They live in Paramapadam serving the Lord forever, and joyfully welcome every soul that arrives there.
- Pancha Samskaram Practice
-
The five purifications given at samashrayanam — the Lord's discus and conch marked on the shoulders (tapa), wearing Thiruman (pundra), a servant-name (nama), the three rahasyas (mantra), and learning to worship the Lord (yaga).
- Paramapadam Doctrine
-
Also called: Sri Vaikuntam
The supreme abode of the Lord, beyond this material world and made of pure, radiant matter. There the nitya suris and the muktas serve the Lord and Piratti forever; it is counted as the 108th Divya Desam.
- Paramatma Doctrine
-
The Lord as the Soul of all souls. He dwells within every being as its inner controller (antaryami), holding it up and guiding it, while its faults never touch Him.
See also: Isvara, Sarira-Sariri Bhava - Pasuram Texts
-
A sacred Tamil verse sung by an Alwar. Each pasuram is a song of love for the Lord, and the Alwars' pasurams are gathered in the Divya Prabandham.
See also: Alwar, Divya Prabandham - Perumal Temple
-
Tamil for "the Great One", the loving name for the Lord, above all as He stands in a temple. Each Divya Desam has its own Perumal with His own name.
- Piratti Doctrine
-
Also called: Sri, Mahalakshmi, Periya Piratti
Sri Mahalakshmi, the Lord's divine consort, never apart from Him even for a moment. She is the mother of all souls and our purushakaram, and together with the Lord She receives our service.
- Prapatti Doctrine
-
Also called: Saranagati
Surrender — the soul's glad acceptance that the Lord alone is its protector and its means. It is not a deed we offer in exchange for being saved; it is simply the soul ceasing to stand in the way and letting Him save it, as He always wished to.
- Prasadam Temple
-
Food and other offerings first presented to the Lord and then received by devotees as His grace. Because it has been offered to Him, it is taken with gratitude and never wasted.
- Purushakaram Doctrine
-
The one who recommends us to the Lord. Piratti, our mother, stands between us and Him, softens His heart toward our faults and turns our hearts toward Him; She is not a separate means, but brings us to the One who is the means. Here on earth the acharya does the same loving work for us.
- Purvacharya Lineage
-
The acharyas who came before us, from Nathamunigal to Manavala Mamunigal and those who followed. Their words, commentaries and lives are the lamp by which we read the Alwars and the Vedas.
- Rahasya Traya Texts
-
The three secrets — Thirumantram, Dvayam and Charama Sloka — received from one's acharya. Together they teach who we are, who the Lord is, how He saves us and what we live for. Mumukshuppadi, with Manavala Mamunigal's commentary, is the beloved first book for learning them.
- Sadhyopaya Doctrine
-
A means the soul has to accomplish by its own effort, such as karma yoga, jnana yoga or bhakti yoga. The elders teach that such effort does not suit a soul who belongs wholly to the Lord, and that even surrender must never be held as our own deed that earns Him.
- Samashrayanam Practice
-
The ceremony in which an acharya accepts a person as a disciple and connects them to the Lord. It is done through the pancha samskaram, and from that day one is a Sri Vaishnava.
- Samsara Doctrine
-
The round of birth and death in this world, driven by karma. The Lord does not leave the soul alone in it; He stays with it as its inner dweller and keeps seeking a way to bring it home.
- Sannidhi Temple
-
The holy presence, and the shrine where the Lord, an Alwar or an acharya is enshrined. One goes to the sannidhi for darshan, and the word itself reminds us that we stand in a living presence.
- Saranagati Doctrine
-
Also called: Prapatti
Taking refuge, another name for prapatti. The soul with no other means and no other refuge comes to the Lord's feet with Piratti's recommendation, and rests on Him alone.
- Sarira-Sariri Bhava Doctrine
-
The body-and-soul relationship between the world and the Lord. Just as a body is held up by its soul, guided by it and exists for it, all souls and all things are held up by the Lord, guided by Him and exist for Him.
- Satari Temple
-
Also called: Sri Satakopam
The crown bearing the Lord's holy feet, placed on devotees' heads in the temple. It is named after Swami Nammalwar (Satakopan), who is honoured as the Lord's very feet, so receiving it means bowing under His feet through the Alwar.
- Sesha and Seshi Doctrine
-
The soul is sesha, one who exists for another; the Lord is the seshi, the one for whom all exist. This belonging is the soul's first and deepest truth, and it is why serving Him brings the soul its true joy.
- Sevakalam Practice
-
The time of recitation before the Lord, when devotees sing the Divya Prabandham together as a goshti, in the temple or at home. Taking part is itself a kainkaryam to the Lord and to His devotees.
- Siddhopaya Doctrine
-
The Lord Himself, the "already accomplished" means. He is not something we build or earn; He is always there, ready and willing to save, and He alone does the saving.
- Sri Ramanuja Lineage
-
Also called: Udayavar, Emperumanar, Bhashyakarar, Yatiraja
The great acharya born at Sriperumbudur who made the sampradaya's teaching clear to the world, wrote the Sri Bhashyam and opened the treasure of the Lord's grace to all. According to tradition he lived for 120 years, and every Sri Vaishnava is connected to the Lord through him.
- Sriman Narayana Doctrine
-
The Lord who is always with Sri (Mahalakshmi). The name Narayana tells us He is the home of all beings and dwells within all of them; He is the one Lord the whole sampradaya worships.
- Svarupa Doctrine
-
The true nature of the soul. The soul is by nature a servant who belongs to the Lord and depends wholly on Him, and that nature is fulfilled only in kainkaryam for His joy.
- Taniyan Texts
-
A short verse in praise of an acharya or Alwar, recited before their work or at the start of any recitation. It honours the one through whom the work reached us, so we never receive the Lord's word without remembering who gave it.
- Tattva Traya Doctrine
-
The three realities — chit (souls), achit (matter) and Isvara (the Lord). Souls and matter are real and eternal, and both exist for the Lord and depend on Him.
- Thayar Temple
-
Tamil for "Mother", the name for Piratti as she is worshipped in the temple, often in her own sannidhi near Perumal's. Devotees go to Thayar first, so that she may bring them to Him.
- Theertham Temple
-
Holy water given to devotees in the temple, usually from the Lord's sacred bath or offered at His feet. It is received in the palm and sipped with reverence.
- Thiruman and Srichurnam Practice
-
The sacred marks a Sri Vaishnava wears on the forehead and body. The white lines of Thiruman stand for the Lord's holy feet and the line of Srichurnam in the centre stands for Thayar, so the wearer carries the Divine Couple wherever they go.
See also: Pancha Samskaram, Thayar - Thirumanjanam Temple
-
Also called: Perumal Thirumanjanam
The sacred bath of the Lord, offered with water, milk, curd, honey and other fragrant things while pasurams and Vedic hymns are recited. Devotees count it a great blessing to witness it or to serve in it.
- Thirumantram Texts
-
Also called: Ashtakshari
The eight-syllable mantra of the Lord, given by the acharya at samashrayanam. It teaches that the soul belongs to the Lord alone and exists for Him, not for itself, and it is learned from one's acharya, not from a page.
- Thirunakshatram Practice
-
The birth-star day of an Alwar or acharya, kept each year in their Tamil month and nakshatra. Devotees gather at their sannidhi, recite their works and taniyans, and give thanks that they came among us.
- Thiruppavai Texts
-
Andal's thirty pasurams, sung every day of the month of Margazhi in temples and homes. In simple words it shows a soul seeking only the Lord and only His service, and the elders treasure it as holding the essence of all the Vedas.
- Tiruvaymozhi Texts
-
Swami Nammalwar's great work of 1,102 pasurams in one hundred decads, the heart of the Divya Prabandham. The acharyas wrote their deepest commentaries on it, and it is recited in full during the Adhyayana Utsavam.
- Udayavar Lineage
-
A name of Sri Ramanuja meaning "the one who owns". According to tradition, Namperumal at Srirangam gave him this name, placing both His worlds — this one and Paramapadam — in his care.
See also: Sri Ramanuja, Emperumanar - Upaya Doctrine
-
The means, the way by which the soul reaches the Lord. The sampradaya teaches that the true means is the Lord Himself, not anything the soul does.
- Upeya Doctrine
-
The goal, what the soul longs to reach. It is eternal kainkaryam, joyful service to the Lord and Piratti, done only for Their happiness.
- Utsavar Temple
-
The festival form of the Lord — the smaller murti who comes out in procession, receives the festival worship and goes among the people. At Srirangam He is lovingly called Namperumal, "our own Perumal".
See also: Moolavar, Archa Avatara - Vaikunta Ekadasi Temple
-
The Ekadasi of the bright fortnight in Margazhi, when a special temple gate, the Paramapada Vasal, is opened and the Lord comes through it. It begins the Ira Pathu of the Adhyayana Utsavam and reminds us of the day the soul enters Paramapadam.
- Vaikuntam Doctrine
-
Another name for Paramapadam, the Lord's eternal home. The name is understood to mean a realm where there is no sorrow and nothing holds one back.
See also: Paramapadam, Vaikunta Ekadasi - Vishishtadvaita Doctrine
-
The teaching of the sampradaya, made clear to the world by Sri Ramanuja. There is one Supreme Reality, Sriman Narayana, and all souls and all matter are His body, real and distinct, yet never apart from Him, just as a body is never apart from its soul.
- Vyakhyanam Texts
-
A commentary that opens up the meaning of a sacred work. The acharyas' commentaries are how we come to understand the pasurams and rahasyas as they were meant, rather than by our own guesswork.
See also: Eedu, Purvacharya
—